PRS for Music
by Tina Hart
PRS for Music has honoured African British classical
composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) with the display of a new
sketch in the organisation’s boardroom.
The composer is believed to have been as famous in his day as John
Lennon and Paul McCartney with his Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast work making
him a global star.
Kwaku, the editor of British Black Music Magazine, Coleridge-Taylor’s
biographer Jeffrey Green, and representatives from the Royal Choral
Society, the Royal College of Music and the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Network, were present at the unveiling.
When the composer died in 1912, there was furore in the media after
the poor finances of his estate were revealed. He sold outright the
publishing rights to his biggest hit Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast for
£15.75.
The Performing Right Society (PRS) was founded in 1914 partly as a
consequence of the deliberations over Coleridge-Taylor’s finances.
Guy Fletcher, Chairman of PRS, said: "Samuel’s contribution to the
musical world at a time when his colour could have held him back is
nothing short of incredible. It is right his life and work is celebrated
and we are honoured to have his picture centre stage in our office."
[Samuel
Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) is profiled at AfriClassical.com,
which features a comprehensive Works List and a Bibliography by Prof.
Dominique-René de Lerma, www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com.
We
are collaborating with the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Foundation of the
U.K., www.SCTF.org.uk]
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